Some of you have known for awhile that I mostly use the same brush for all my drawings… and unfortunately the time has finally come to replace the good o’ chap. Parts of this page was drawn with a new brush – which I don’t like at all. I’ll be experimenting with brushes until I find one I like. Hope the quality of the comic doesn’t suffer… wish me luck 
If the leader here is one of those who were defeated earlier by the Zhang Fei, he remains sadly oblivious: “If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
I love the sense of movement in the second panel. I had a typical Chinese horse-painting on my bedroom wall as a girl, and your horses remind me of it very much. Possibly the new brush is a little less delicate? But it still looks good to me.
I think this guy was Deng Mao, the first victim of Zhang Fei’s Serphant Blade. And you’re right. Such a shame, he didn’t study Sun Tzu’s words.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will be feared in a hundred battles to come.”
“If you know not the enemy, but know yourself, you will find victory and defeat in equal measure.”
“If you know the enemy, but know not yourself, you will find defeat in every battle.”
Apparently, this guy knew the enemy was Zhang Fei, but didn’t much about himself. Such a shame. But as the saying goes, “The hardest person to know is sometimes yourself.”
certainly didn’t notice a drop in quality in the eagerly awaited panels this week! Condolences on the passing of your trusted brush (btw, have you seen one of these? i am indeed tempted: http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/products_id/5805)… really enjoyed your “face work” on the panels this week! The one of the Uellow Turban leader and Liu Bei are wonderfully done… and love the Yellow Turban “red shirt” on the right in the last panel, the way you drew the horse’s head and the way you positioned the “red shirt’s” head makes it all so fluid and gave it a cinematic feel to it.
Thanks Mercy and Vonbek! I am making a conscious effort to work in more movement and action into this comic, so I’m very happy you’ve notice a difference